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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Paul describe the way his shoes walk on the pavement?

2. What does Paul state that his secret gives him?

3. What does Paul do with his secret?

4. What happens to the snow while Paul's secret becomes more apparent?

5. What color is the hydrant with the painted chain on it that Paul sees?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Paul's thought process as he observes the gateway?

2. What is the last thing that Paul sees and hears before the story ends?

3. What are some of the descriptions Paul uses to explain how important his secret is in Part 1?

4. What is becoming more difficult for Paul to do, as he describes in Part 2?

5. When and how did Paul's secret start?

6. How is Paul's last response to his mother surprisingly looked at in his own mind?

7. What is interesting about the way Paul views the doctor and his parents, and how he chooses to acknowledge them?

8. What does Paul think will happen if he tells people about his secret?

9. Who is Deirdre, and what does she illustrate for Paul?

10. What is the startling discovery Paul makes at the end of his walk home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Aiken keeps the reader's attention through flowing lines and poetic descriptions. Analyze his writing style, including examples of its effectiveness and why it works so well with this particular story. Also, describe how the style changes with the tone and pace of the story.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the character of Deirdre. What do her character traits represent for Paul? Why does she try to get his attention? What does his response indicate? In general, how does Deirdre illustrate Paul's disconnect with the world he knows? Why is that important to the theme of the story?

Essay Topic 3

Aiken uses a number of literary techniques to deliver the messages in the story.

1) Describe and analyze three examples of symbolism in the story and their effects on it.

2) Describe and analyze three examples of foreshadowing in the story and their effects on it.

3) Describe and analyze the use of flashbacks in the story and why it was effective.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 915 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample